Bruised and Battered
by britannysnow
Summary: Everyone always tells funny stories of what people say while under anesthetics. Concussion talk is similar. Sometimes the truth comes out, sometimes it's incoherent rambling.


"I don't want to go to see some fighting match, Tom." Chloe protested, shaking her head in disbelief how he could even invite her to watch one. Chloe was a gentle-hearted soul, who cried when she accidentally stepped on a bug and was always that person to put a spider in a cup and bring it outside.

"Oh, c'mon babe," Tom drawled, wrapping an arm around Chloe's shoulder pulling the redhead close. His voice was laced with scents of alcohol. His friends had been murmuring about a fighting pit downtown, and he was intrigued. Intent on winning over Chloe, he continued on. "It'll be really cool. People make bets 'n shit." Nudging her with his hip, Chloe melted into him.

"Fine. Fine, fine." When Tom whooped and hollered to his friends, who did not find it astonishing of an accomplishment as he had, Chloe gave a weak smile and resumed nursing her solo cup full of beer.

* * *

A jump-rope slashed against the ground like a whip at incredulous speeds. The soft panting of a woman sounded through the small room coated with mirrors, the vision of the girl multiplying in each panel. Brunette locks thrashed as she occasionally looped her hands over one another, maneuvering through the ropes. The intercom system buzzed, indicating that Beca had a few minutes left until the room would be passed on to the next boxer. A thin sheen of sweat covered the boxer's forehead as she packed up her stuff, taking a healthy swig of her water. Splashing some into her hand, she lazily wiped it over her face and left the room, scoffing when a very large, looming, muscly man pushed past her to get into the room. Beca wasn't paying attention when someone collided their shoulder gently into hers, pulling out a side of her headphones.

"Oh, hey T.J," Beca mumbled, grinning up at her trainer. "What's up?" She questioned. Usually the man came to her when she had an offer to fight.

"You could guess why, shortstuff." He teased, slowing his comfortable long-legged strides to match Beca's short ones.

"A match? When and where?" She deadpanned, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

"Downtown. Some seedy abandoned pool. I'd arrange for another place if I could, but this match was brought to me, not the other way around," T.J gave her a sheepish smile. "And it's tonight. The opponent's got some beef with you." The man wasn't surprised that another person had stepped forward, eager to beat the shit out of Beca. She got on peoples' nerves.

"Oh? Who is it?" Beca's brow raised, turning towards him, managing to walk sideways so she could keep a straight gaze on T.J's face. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them.

"Aubrey, again." T.J. mumbled, waiting for a reaction. At this, Beca halted. Her eyes narrowed as she rolled her eyes.

"Really? Really?" Beca hissed. The brunette had been up against the blonde twice before this, and had demolished her both times. It was such a shame too, the other woman had such a nice face. Their first match had been harmless – it was really a match that was for fun, to see if either of them was capable of fighting. During the fight, Aubrey had been fighting dirty and she got suspended from the match because of it. And so, a grudge between the two women had blossomed.

"I know. She's nuts, man."

"You could say that again." Beca mumbled, pushing her hair back.

"I know. She's nuts, man." Snorting, T.J. whined when Beca punched him in his shoulder. Looking down at her watch, Beca started to trot backwards.

"I've got to go get ready for this match then. I'll talk to you soon, alright?" She turned on her heel and jogged out to her car.

* * *

Chloe reached down and tugged up the cold metal of the zipper with shivering nimble fingers. Tom had been walking ahead of her the entire time as they made their way to the abandoned pool. He was so eager to watch. "You're such a fighting buff." She laughed, increasing her gait to catch up to him.

"Yeah, yeah." He brushed off the conversation casually, turning to his friends. They had been making bets all night. The infamous boxer Beca was up against a lesser known fighter, Aubrey, and if rumors had held true, this was going to be a big match. Tom hesitantly slipped a fifty dollar bill into another person's hand, confirming the details of his bet.

Making their way down the stairs, Tom held her hand as she scrambled down to the floor and hung her legs over the side of the pool's edge. He sat down next to her and handed her a beer, already on his second. A chorus of cheers erupted out as a hooded figure bounced cockily into the center of the pool, pumping her fist in the air. Multiple whoops and hollers called out, the occasional "Beca!" yelled out. Pulling her hood down, she placed what seemed to be a mouth bite in her mouth and started a small pep talk with a taller man, who was reassuring her with a nudge before he faded into the background. Chloe had to admit, the entire event was intriguing. Her attention snapped back up to the pool as another figure strutted into vision, pointing her finger at the brunette. Her voice was inaudible over the yelling. Both the women retreated into their respectable corners as a very pudgy man walked between them. In his hands he held a pot and a wooden spoon, and spoke some words, acknowledged the rules, and then stepped back. As hard as he could, he slammed the spoon against the pot.

* * *

Beca breathed in and lunged forward, desperate to get the first hit on Aubrey. When she did not prevail, she bounced in a circle around the blonde, pounding her gloved fists together, hoping to intimidate the other woman. Her eyes were blinded by a flash of golden curls, taken aback when her shoulder cried out in pain. How did she get a hit on me? Was the first thought that coursed it's way through Beca's mind. Shaking it off, she brought her fist up, hoping to connect it with Aubrey's jaw. When her knuckles met hard cartilage, she grinned. Aubrey shook her head and opened her mouth, holding back a groan. Beca ran a routine through her head. Uppercut, uppercut, and finish with a knee to the stomach. Executing those actions, she leaped back out of harm's way when Aubrey doubled over in pain, staggering.

"Just give up now. You know I alwa –" Beca was pushed back as Aubrey drove her shoulder into Beca's, bringing both of the women down to the ground. Behind her, she could hear T.J. beckoning for the referee to call that out as dirty, but it was let go. Holding up her arm in front of her face, Beca braced for the wave of easy hits that would come from Aubrey. Beca's head thudded against the cool tiles of the pool floor as a fist managed to snake past her defensive arm, colliding with her nose. She groaned when she felt blood trickle down past her lips. Bucking her hips up to toss the blonde off of her, she scrambled to her feet and wiped away the blood with the back of her hand. Beca growled before she lurched forward, a blinding rage having overcome her. When Aubrey easily dusted off her advance by sliding to the side, Beca whipped around.

"Fucking ridiculous!" Beca seethed, angry at how long this fight had been going on for. Enraged when Aubrey gave a cheeky smirk at her frustration, she yelled out and thrust her fist up, hoping to meet Aubrey's stomach. Her world slowed down to an agonizingly slow speed as she watched Aubrey's gloved hand slowly drive up towards her face. As she fell back, she whimpered as her head crashed against the tiles, her world fading to black.

* * *

Tom threw his hand up in the air, his beer sloshing over the edge of the cup. Grinning with confidence, several of his buddies slapped their money indignantly into his hands. "I told you blondie would win! She's got that aura about her."

"Tom, is that girl alright? She went down hard…" Chloe murmured, nudging Tom's arm to get his attention.

"Yeah, she's probably fine. That stuff happens to boxers all the time."

"Are you sure?" Chloe said meekly, genuinely concerned for the brunette that was sprawled out on the pool floor, passed out cold.

"Positive, babe." Tom replied flatly, uninterested in his girlfriend's worrying. Chloe slipped away from Tom without him noticing easily. Making her way past the drunken crowds, Chloe approached the man crouched over Beca.

"Hey, is she alright?" Chloe questioned, stepping a bit closer.

"Please step back, Ma'am." The man requested, holding up his palm.

"I'm a nurse, I can help." Chloe suggested, not moving from her spot.

The man looked up, keeping a hand over Beca protectively. "Alright, come here." He stepped back, giving the redhead space to do what she could. "She's never been out this long. Something's wrong." The man gushed, rubbing his forehead stressfully. Chloe pulled up on Beca's eyelids softly, her lips tight when she saw that the pupils didn't dilate at the light.

"She's got a concussion. She needs to go to a hospital." Chloe diagnosed, checking anywhere else for cuts or bruises. The boxer's nose was crooked also. "Broken nose, possibly." Chloe turned to look up at the man, interrupted by the brunette stirring. She twisted her head back to looking at Beca, raising a brow. The brunette curled on the ground, moaning in pain. Chloe tried to hold the girl down to not much success.

"Hnnn. Hiiii." Beca murmured, reaching her hand up to touch Chloe's face, missing completely. Her hand fell back down to her side. "You're really preeeetttyyy." She drawled, giggling and smiling. Chloe felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she and the others around her laughed.


End file.
